Over the years, Volkswagen has dominated the hot-hatch scene with their Golf GTI, but there is so much more to the brand than that one model.
In reality, their passion for performance runs deep, traditionally they have not poured their resources and effort into sports cars though, their energy has been reserved for making regular cars fun. That mantra can trace its roots all the way back to the original Mk1 Golf GTI. Some of these fun cars were limited edition models, but the vast majority were, and still are, accessible.
If you are in the market for a fast VW that isn’t a GTI, you have a host of different options out there that cater to pretty much every taste and budget.
10 Corrado G60
VW launched the Corrado in the late 80s but being a less practical coupe meant sales were never all that good, so the model was subsequently dropped in the 90s.
It was one of the first cars that got their relatively short-lived 1.8-liter supercharged G60 engine. It made a very respectable 160 horsepower, a little less than the marginally heavier VR6 version, which was equally good.
9 Touareg R50
The Touareg was already a pretty quick SUV, sharing a platform with the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 meant access to some seriously potent powertrains.
The R50 got the excessive 350 horsepower V10 diesel, which could rocket this behemoth from 0-60 in just under 7 seconds. Coincidentally the same time as the contemporary Mk5 GTI.
8 Passat W8
The last Passat will be made this year, and although the R-Line is pretty attractive, especially the faux-RS4 station wagon, it is no performance car.
In the early 2000s, they had a W8 engine option, which made 270 horsepower and could rocket the wagon from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds.
7 Phaeton W12
In an effort to beta-test their future Bentley models, VW basically offered the Phaeton model as a sacrifice to public opinion. It is now a car famed for reliability concerns and ridiculous running costs, but if the thing is actually running, it is also rapid.
The W12 made its first appearance in their one off concept supercar, literally named the W12. It is a supercar engine and gives the big luxury lump supercar performance (when it runs).
6 Golf VR6
Much is made of how fat and lazy the GTI got in the 90s with the Mk3, but what most people forget is that this was the first time it was positioned below another performance model.
The VR6 engine is arguably one of VW’s biggest engineering achievements, it gave their front drive cars the power of a traditional V6 which weighed as much (if not less) than a traditional inline 4. It also gave the world a deeper understanding of what torque steer really was.
5 Polo GTI
In most countries, the Polo didn’t offer a GTI version until the Mk4 came out, but in truth that was actually about the time the Polo really came of age.
The Mk3 Polo GTI was made in limited numbers and only made 100 horsepower, for the Mk4 they didn’t hold back, they gave it the outgoing Mk4 Golf GTI engine that made 150 horsepower. That performance bump made the lightweight Polo a real little performance car.
4 Jetta VR5
Although the VR5 was never really marketed as a performance car, it actually packed some serious punch.
It technically had more or less the same power as the turbo Mk4 GTI, and under the right conditions would almost certainly show the boosted GTI a clean pair of heels.
3 Beetle RSi
In 2001 the much maligned “New Beetle” got an ultra hot version, VW made a limited run of 250 RSi models which packed a 230 horsepower VR6 engine.
This will technically go down in history as the most powerful production Beetle ever made, unless they decide to try to revive it again as an EV…
2 Jetta GLI 16V
With all the praises heaped upon the Mk2 16V Golf GTI, the car that effectively got VW back on hot-hatch track, almost nothing is said of the equally good Jetta.
The Jetta was far more understated, had a little more body roll and a trunk, but other than that was mechanically identical (right down to the awful cable shift transmission). By modern standards, neither are fast, but as a future classic, the Jetta offers great value today.
1 Scirocco R
In many ways the Scirocco is a confusing model, it is a strange blend between a coupe and a hatchback, not unlike the Corrado.
Size-wise, it is more or less the same as the modern Golf, but is far less practical thanks to its design. As far as performance goes, it lacks nothing though, and will leave most modern hot-hatches in its dust.